Ren had never ridden in a car so quiet.
The luxury sedan moved like a ghost through the glittering city streets, but inside it felt like a coffin. No sound. No conversation. Just the soft purr of the engine and the suffocating presence of the man sitting beside him.
Li Zeyan didn't speak. He didn't even glance at Ren.He simply typed something on his phone, face lit coldly by the screen's glow, jaw clenched like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Ren shrank into his seat, heart pounding.
I really signed it... I agreed to this insanity.
A marriage contract. With a man he'd just met. A stranger who looked like he could crush hearts — and necks — with equal ease.
The car pulled to a stop after thirty minutes, and Ren's jaw dropped as he looked up through the tinted window.
A modern glass mansion stood like a silent sentinel above the riverbank. Tall, cold, and perfect — just like its owner.
It didn't look like a home.It looked like a prison built with gold.
Inside, everything gleamed — marble floors, steel railings, soft lighting embedded in the walls. The foyer alone could have fit his entire old apartment.
Ren stood stiffly, trying not to let his shoes squeak on the polished floor.
Li Zeyan's footsteps echoed as he walked ahead without waiting."Follow me."
Ren obeyed without a word.
As they passed the living room, Ren's breath caught. A full wall of glass opened to a skyline view of the city, sparkling in the night like a dream. There was a grand piano in the corner, untouched. No signs of life. No warmth.
Only silence.
"You live here... alone?" Ren finally asked, voice small.
Li Zeyan didn't reply.
They climbed a curved staircase lined with black railings. Abstract paintings hung on the walls — some angry, some lonely. All expensive.
A particularly large piece near the stairs caught Ren's eye: a dark swirl, like chaos frozen in motion, framed in silver.
It feels like screaming without sound...
At the top of the stairs, Li Zeyan finally spoke.
"Your room is at the end of the hall. Last door on the right."
Ren nodded. "Okay... thanks."
But just as he turned, the CEO added, without looking at him:
"Do not enter the east wing."
Ren blinked. "Why not?"
Zeyan's gaze sharpened. "Just don't."
The hallway light seemed to dim. For a moment, Ren felt like a character in a horror novel.
"Uh... got it," he said quickly.
Li Zeyan walked off without another word, his footsteps fading into the long corridor, leaving Ren standing there with his suitcase and his doubts.
The room was gorgeous — soft lighting, clean sheets, a closet filled with new clothes in his size. Someone had prepared it in advance. That fact alone sent a shiver down his back.
He dropped his suitcase and sank onto the edge of the bed. The mattress sank beneath him like clouds. It was everything he'd never had.
What the hell is happening to my life...?
After a long hot shower, Ren peeked out into the hallway. Empty.
But as he turned toward the stairs, his eyes flicked to the east wing — the one Li Zeyan warned him about.
It was just a hallway like any other.But the door at the end… was different.
Not glass. Not polished wood.It was heavy, matte black. With a strange gold symbol etched near the knob.
Ren's heart beat faster.
What's in there? Why is it locked?
As he stepped closer, a cold draft seemed to brush his skin. But the windows were all shut.
He turned away quickly, goosebumps rising on his arms.
It's none of my business... right?
Still, the door stayed in his mind long after he climbed into bed.
That night, in the soft luxury of silk sheets, Ren stared at the ceiling and whispered:
"What did I sign up for...?"